Amethyst is a new type of mineral available in Minecraft's Caves & Cliffs update part 1. You can find large clusters of Amethyst geodes underground between Y levels 0 and 70 in the overworld. Sometimes, these even spawn partially above the surface, usually on beaches or underwater.

Though Amethyst isn't a rare find in Minecraft, it can be tricky to prise this gem out of its natural state. Here's how to grow Amethyst Shards in Minecraft efficiently.

Minecraft Amethyst Budding
How to get Amethyst Shards in Minecraft and what you can use it for.

How to grow Amethyst Shards in Minecraft

Minecraft players cannot mine the bud Amethyst block and move it to other places. If you see an Amethyst geode, it is likely that you can find multiple Amethyst blocks and common ones inside. These locations are often surrounded by smooth calcite, basalt layer, right in the middle of a place with loads of Amethyst blocks and bud Amethyst blocks.

There are two steps to get Amethyst Shards in Minecraft, first is mining these blocks from geodes and second is growing them from clusters.

1. Mine Amethyst blocks from geodes

These geodes are fun as placing, running over, and mining it can produce a pleasant rhythm. In those geodes, use a pickaxe to mine the Amethyst buds growing on the walls of the geodes. Also, you need a pickaxe enchanted with Silk Touch to successfully mine the Amethyst blocks.

Also, it is important not to remove the Amethyst blocks as doing that will delete them, even when you are making use of the Silk Touch enchantment. You will want to focus on the Amethyst clusters and grab the shards to use in your farming or crafting projects.

Budding Amethyst blocks occasionally grow on small buds outside of the geodes. However, there is a humble 20% chance of this happening.

Amethyst Geode
You need to mine the Amethyst from these geodes first.

2. Grow Amethyst Shards from cluster

As they only grow in certain geodes, players cannot make their own Amethyst farms. The next step of how to grow Amethyst Shards in Minecraft is to get the Amethyst from the caves and get fresh supplies.

There are two main stages the Amethyst growth goes through and they happen all atop the budding Amethyst blocks. A common Amethyst block does not have any crack in the center, while the budding one has this distinct pattern.

The Amethyst bud can only spawn from the cracked blocks. When it does, it will grow from a little Amethyst bud to a medium, then a large one. At the last stage, the next transition is it becoming an Amethyst cluster which has all the shards the player can mine.

Amethyst Growth Cycle
Different sizes of Amethyst buds.

Once you have mined the cluster and kept the budding block there, you are able to return and mine it again once it has undergone the cycle once more.

What is the easiest way to find Amethyst in Minecraft?

Amethyst spawns in Minecraft between levels 0 and 70, making it quite a common material in the game. However, we don't recommend players digging straight down in order to find Amethyst. Instead, try one of the following methods when it comes to how to get Amethyst Shards in Minecraft:

  • Build a mine: Carve your way into the underground down to level 12 or lower. This level offers a chance of getting not only Amethyst, but also Gold, Diamonds, Lapis Lazuli, Redstone, and more. You can speed up your mining process using minecarts.
  • Explore the surroundings: Amethysts geodes do spawn inside caves and ravines. Locate these in your world to skip the digging.
  • Visit the ocean: Amethyst can be found partially revealed on beaches or underwater. Equip yourself with tools to breathe underwater when exploring the ocean for amethysts.
how to get Amethyst Shards in Minecraft
There's nothing wrong with a little aesthetic.

Once you're inside the geode, be careful to only mine amethyst clusters. Look for the mature Amethyst buds that grow on budding amethyst blocks. They should drop shards when mined using a pickaxe. If you mine the entire block, no Amethyst clusters will grow anymore. Instead, mark the locations of the geodes to farm Amethyst later.

Also, make sure to have a pickaxe enchanted with Fortune. At level 3 Fortune, you can get up to 16 Amethyst shards from a single cluster. Building an automatic farm takes longer and proves to be not as efficient since a cluster only drops two shards when broken by a piston.

Amethyst Shard Minecraft use

You can use Amethyst shards in Minecraft for several purposes: decoration, lighting, and crafting recipes.

1. Decoration

The unique texture of Amethyst blocks is totally magical and enchanting. You can use them to make paths as it creates pretty sounds whenever a player walks by.

2. Lighting

Some might not know that the Amethyst buds and clusters can produce light. The light level they offer depends on their growth state. While small buds create light at level 1, the medium produce light at level 2. The large buds will be able to produce light at level 4.

Besides, you can also use it to obtain a level 5 light. Thanks to the pretty purple texture and special shape, it can be used to create thrilling spooky light for their bases in Minecraft.

3. Crafting material

Amethysts are ingredients to craft such items as spyglass and tinted glass in Minecraft. You can also use this material to get a block of Amethysts for building fantastic structures.

  • Block Of Amethyst

Place 4 Amethyst shards in the crafting grid to craft a block of Amethyst. It gives off a funny sound when placed, hit by a particle, or walked on.

Farm Amethyst Shard
The entire geode is made from Amethyst blocks.
  • Spyglass

Place an Amethyst shard and two copper ingots vertically on the crafting table to make a spyglass. It's a new item that was added to Minecraft in the 1.17 update.

Spyglass
Spyglass recipe
  • Tinted Glass

Place 4 Amethyst shards and 1 glass into the crafting table to make 1 Amethyst tinted glass. It's not as transparent as the regular glass and it also blocks light from passing through.

Minecraft Tinted Glass Recipe
The tinted glass looks more subtle.

How to grow Amethyst Shards in Minecraft: FAQs

1. How long does it take Amethyst Shards to grow?

An Amethyst bud has a 20% chance per random game tick to grow a new Amethyst bud on one of its sides. A Minecraft game tick occurs every 0.05 seconds, which means 20 will happen in one second. Therefore, these crystals don't take too long to grow.

2. Can you eat Amethyst Minecraft?

Minecraft Amethyst is used for many purposes, but not for eating. You can use it as decoration, lighting, or crafting material, but Amethyst Minecraft is not edible and there's no help in trying to consume it anyway.

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